Divorce Diaries

Relief

My kids flew home on Saturday from Disneyworld, landing just ahead of a hurricane. Their flight took longer than usual – I assume from the detour they had to take – but they got here safe and sound and managed to make it home to Peter’s house before the rain deluged and the wind howled.

That was tough.

One of the hardest (and most important) things you have to learn as a newly single parent is that you can’t control what’s going to happen to your kids when they’re with your ex. They’re going to eat what he lets them eat, go on outings wherever he takes them, and play with a whole new set of friends. That can be good for them, but when they’re flying home over a hurricane and landing with not much time to spare before it slams into the area, it makes you feel pretty helpless, let me tell you.

I emailed Peter before the plane took off, begging him to please call or text me the minute they got off the plane so I could stop worrying, and God bless him, he had Anna call me from baggage claim. They had a bumpy ride, but they were home. They were safe. I could breathe again.

So that was my excitement for the weekend. We had a bit of flooding, but my sump pump did its job and my basement remained dry. My trees are still standing, and my roof appears to be intact. I’m over an hour from the coastline (and not near any streams or rivers), so I didn’t get it as bad as some did. Thank goodness!

The kids came back to my house yesterday, and this morning, I put them on the bus for their first day of school. Anna knows me entirely to well, stopping me as we walked to the bus stop to say sternly, “Mom, promise me you are NOT going to cry this year and embarass me in front of my friends.” I made no promises because I knew better. I cry every year, though it was just a tear or two this time. Life is moving forward at a blinding pace, sometimes.

Did you find it hard when something affected your kids while they were away from you (weather, an accident, etc.?) I found it really hard not to badger Peter with emails and phone calls, and I had to remind myself that he would do whatever he had to do to protect them (and I know he would). It was hard though. I hope I never have to deal with that again!

About The Author

Ellie DeLano

Ellie DeLano is a parenting and relationship blogger, a freelance writer, a full-time working single mom, and frequently exhausted. She's slogging her way through the world of single parenting, mid-life dating and reinventing herself with a pop-tart in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

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